Rodney Stuckey gazed out the window.
He knew he could never return. Resting his head against the glass, he remembered all the good times that he had experienced. It seemed like a past life, now, though it had only been 15 minutes since his departure. All those accomplishments. All those friends…
Overcome by emotion, he turned away from the window and closed his eyes, holding back tears. No, this was for the best. It had to be this way.
There had been no goodbyes. Too painful. He had sneaked away in the middle of the night, telling no one of his plans. He would be far away before anyone noticed his absence. Troy, his son, would not understand. He prayed that Cassandra would. The note he had left was short and concise. He had omitted many details, the only clear point being: he would not, could not, return.
Some might have called it abandonment, the way he left behind his wife and son. Maybe it was. But could he really be blamed for his actions? He cursed the sequence of events that had led him to this. These were circumstances beyond his control, he thought to himself. Circumstances beyond his control.
Having reassured himself of his actions, he returned his attention to the retreating Earth.